A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 2-17-90, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO ACTS PROHIBITED OF LOBBYISTS' PRINCIPALS AND EXCEPTIONS, SO AS TO DELETE THE EXCEPTION THAT ALLOWS LOBBYISTS' PRINCIPALS TO EXTEND, AND MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO ACCEPT, INVITATIONS TO ATTEND CERTAIN ORGANIZATIONS' REGIONAL AND NATIONAL CONVENTIONS AND CONFERENCES.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 2-17-90(A) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(A) Except as otherwise provided underpursuant to Section 2-17-100, noa lobbyist's principal may not offer, solicit, facilitate, or provide to a public official or public employee, and noa public official or public employee may not accept lodging, transportation, entertainment, food, meals, beverages, or an invitation to a function paid for by a lobbyist's principal, except for:

(1) as to members of the General Assembly, a function to which a member of the General Assembly is invited if the entire membership of the House, the Senate, or the General Assembly is invited, or one of the committees, subcommittees, joint committees, legislative caucuses or their committees or subcommittees, or county legislative delegations of the General Assembly of which the legislator is a member is invited. However, the Speaker of the House and Speaker Pro Tempore of the House may be included in an invitation to one of the above groups. In addition, invitations may be extended and accepted when the invitation is extended to all members in attendance at (a) national and regional conventions and conferences of organizations for which the General Assembly pays annual dues as a membership requirement and (b) American Legislative Exchange Council conventions and conferences;

(2) as to a public official of a state agency, board, or commission, a function to which an official of a state agency, board, or commission is invited if the entire board or commission of which the public official is a member is invited;

(3) as to public employees, except for public employees of anya statewide constitutional officer, a function to which a public employee is invited if a public official of the agency or department by which the public employee is employed also is invited under another provision of this section;

(4) as to public employees of anya statewide constitutional officer, a function to which all statewide constitutional officers are invited;

(5) as to statewide constitutional officers, a function to which a statewide constitutional officer is invited;

(6) as to public officials or public employees, activities reasonably and directly related to state or local economic development efforts. However, the public official or public employee first must obtain prior written approval from:

(a) the Governor, in the case of any of his employees or of any public officials of any state agencies or any of their employees whichthat are not listed in a subitem below;

(b) anya statewide constitutional officer, in the case of himself or any of his employees;

(c) the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, in the case of any member of the Senate or its employees; or

(d) the Speaker of the House, in the case of a member of the House of Representatives or its employees.

(7) as to cabinet officers, a function to which all cabinet officers are invited."

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on
Tuesday, December 10, 2013 at 10:33 A.M.